Last night, an event was held at the Park Avenue Armory on one of the “forbidden” floors. Forbidden due to the fact that we shelter residents must use the Basement for entry and exit and cannot walk on the first, second or fourth floors. There is actually good reason for this: there are a few of my sheltermates who have crashed events have stolen from them. I remember one evening when they, the Armory staff, was setting up for an event on the first floor, and they were quite nervous about us residents crashing it. That’s when I learned of the party crasher who took with her upon exit, several bottles of alcohol. A few of us who reside there know quite well that the only reason the Armory puts up with all of us and the 911 calls to break up arguments is the money that is paid to them to lease two floors. There is not a night where there isn’t some bullshit drama, whether it be over the remote, or just from boredom. Staff will let the yell-fest continue with not very convincing attempts to shut it down.

Staffer 1

(unconvincingly)

ladies, please stop…. really stop…

Staffer 2

(sitting at the desk next to staffer 1)

I think I’ll call 911

Am I resentful? a bit. I shouldn’t be there. I should have been sent to transitional housing last July.I won’t start seeing place til January – shelter gets another $9K for those three months. But someone at the Williams Street Assessment shelter decided to send me to a shelter for mentally ill women. So, here I am.

Am I grateful? Yes. I have a roof over my head, shower, meals. I am not sleeping at copy shops or on the subway. I am not sleep deprived, I function. I don’t have carry my life on my back like a turtle.

Yesterday, Sunday Sept 25, I was down occupying Wall Street. I saw a wide range of Americans – young, old, middle-aged, Veterans, New Yorkers, out-of-towners, and we all were there for one reason: To bring attention to the rising inequity that is occurring while the Foxers try to mock with outdated insults like “hippie” and “get a job”. Yeah, I am homeless, and I work. Just not earning enough to pay the rent.

When a group of NYFD walked through the plaza, a cheer and applause rang out.

Until the night fell, the NYPD were cool. Yes, there was an attempt to intimidate, but it didn’t quite work they way the Commanding officers hoped.

I met people who were respectful, well-spoken, and quite concerned for all Americans. Why should we be mocked for exercisng our First Amendment right to gather, express and petition? I mean, isn’t that why we’re “fighting ‘them’ over there”?

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

So, last night. R comes back in rip-roaring drunk and singing rather loudly. She nearly falls backward but is caught, by another resident, who suggests she lay down, which of course, the drunk one does not agree to, and starts to complain that no one likes her. About 10 minutes later, a couple of other women come up and say that she has bitten someone and it’s crazy downstairs. So, for lack of anything else to do, I wander down to the third floor to watch. Get down there, and there she is, sitting in a chair with two cops around her, being loud, and as I walked past her, I noticed she was cuffed. She kept getting up and the cops would have to move her back to the chair, where she would start complaining about her arm. The N.P. was treating the victim, some of the ladies were peeved at the N.P. because she called the cops and the EMT’s on the drunk. Well, what else was she supposed to do?

The EMT’s arrive, they ask her her name, which she responded to with the correct answer, and they all began to walk out, with the biter admitting to the violence as she was steered toward the elevator.

Woke up this morning, and she was back. So much for the rules. She’s violent when she’s drunk, and they won’t do a damn thing about her. I guess, it’s about money and that she’s got mental deficits.

G, who finally is getting an apartment, started in another, who she has been tormenting. Listening to G and what she plans to do, I fear for anyone who ends up with her as a home health aide.

It’s 9:56 am. There’s supposed to be a “Housing Fair” starting st 10:00 am. No one is here but us chickens. I guess they don’t see keeping to schedules as important. But then, I guess they see this as doing us a “favor”.

10:05 no sign of any DHS people.
10:07 2 women have appeared, and are ignoring us.
Did I mention this is a two hour affair?

10:15 SURPRISE!!! THERE’S ONLY ONE PERSON TO DEAL WITH ALL OF US

10:21 Wait! More people have arrived and are huddling. Now, they have walked away.

10:30 and it’s still only one person from an assisted living place. No kitchen, shared bath and bedroom

10:45 if I get asked one more time if I want to talk to the nice lady from the Briarwood, I will consider it harassment.

10:50 Three thuggish men and a woman who looked like she belonged here have arrived. Got s muffin and walked away.
Dude in a suit looking like he had a rough night.

Was just informed this circus ends at 12:30, so, we will be zoo-like entertainment when lunch rolls around.

11:15 I left. It’s all SRO and Assisted Living. What this means is that I have to do it myself, as this shelter is not capable of dealing with my situation.

When you enter the shelter, you’re given a “contract” that spells out one’s responsibilities while there. Basic rules of civilized behavior, such as no smoking in the building, no repeated verbal abuse/violence nom booze/drugs/weapons. One is can get suspended for violating the rules, and I have yet to see it happen. The woman who threatened me, comes. goes. The rules are not enforced, and the residents know nothing will happen.

Sure you’ll get arrested for calling in one too many false alarms, but hey…..

G has been taken away, and staff is complicit. I came back from the ER to find cops in the dorm at G’s bed, with one of the staffers standing apparently telling them she’s crazy. So, they took her.

G was bullied into her breakdown. G is maybe 60ish. Sobriety is an unknown quality to the wom en who bullied her. Mean? Only to those who were mean. Get respect? She’s been bullied, called “drunk”, bullies are always the victims, and always howling about how she deserved it. never the victimizer. Take AY-vah, comes and goes as she will, and last monday, as I was doing my wash, started in on me. Yapping that I was here because I had diddled some kid, or fucked someone’s man. Threatened to knock my “nice dentures” out. Staffer was standing by the door listening, and instead of stopping it, let it go on until he realized I wasn’t taking the troll-bait and put a stop to it.

“Is anything wrong, “ladies”?

“Oh, no.” says the troll with a fake innocence.

They will find another. Won’t be me, as none here exist to me any longer.



Oh, W. yer going to get your comeuppance.

Lashon Hara. comes back to bite.

W is now going through the containers and locker with her clothes that she will never wear and is shaking out a dress. She was going on about G and her “alcoholism” as why she ended up here. Critter, YOU are here with a picture of the man who kicked your sorry ass to the curb, because you fucking slept all day, smoked and generally sat on your ass while demanding to be deferred to.

Even the 2 inch cockroaches run from you. Or was that the bug up your ass?